Wolfpack wonders what it takes in road mystery vs. Demon Deacons

N.C. State quarterback Pete Thomas, who threw his first touchdown pass of the season last week, tries to avoid losses that past N.C. State quarterbacks have endured at Wake Forest.

The Associated Press

By Bob Sutton / Times-News

Published: Friday, October 4, 2013 at 04:53 PM.

A month into the season and North Carolina State football coach Dave Doeren figures he’s about to find out quite a bit more about his team Saturday.

The Wolfpack will be the opponent for Wake Forest’s homecoming. This is the team’s first road trip under Doeren, who’s in his first season.

“I think we have learned a lot about our team and you learn a lot on the road,” Doeren said. “It’s unfamiliar, smaller locker room, different crowd. The routine is different. Even though it’s a bus (trip) and not a plane, it’s still a different environment for our guys.”

The Wolfpack would like to leave with a different type of result than in recent treks to Winston-Salem.

N.C. State hasn’t won there in its last five trips and has suffered defeats in seven of its last eight visits. Quarterbacks such as Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon have all left with defeats before going on to being starters in the NFL.

“It’s kind of a motivator to improve that record there,” N.C. State offensive tackle Joe Thuney said. “There’s that satisfaction of going to an opponents’ place and silencing their crowd.”

Doeren said he took particular notice of the recent history because the Wolfpack’s losing streak in Winston-Salem extends beyond a couple of games.

“This streak is hard to absorb,” Doeren said. “I also know during that span Wake was at their peak as a program, and that is part of it. … If (N.C. State) had lost two in a row, I probably wouldn’t have cared too much. But seven out of eight, you can’t ignore that.

“You have to bring the juice, the energy. If it’s quiet, you know it’s quiet because you made it quiet. I think that’s the noise we want to hear, no noise.”

Wake Forest scored at least 30 points in four of the five games in the home winning streak in the series. The Wolfpack lost 34-27 in 2011 at BB&T Field.

“That was like the worst game I had,” N.C. State linebacker D.J. Green said of playing two years ago at Wake Forest. “It was just bad.”

Green said it should be a bonus that N.C. State’s fans usually have a strong turnout at Wake Forest.

This is one of only four road games for the Wolfpack this season, so it needs to make the most of these ventures.

“You can’t be a great program and lose the road games and win the home games,” Doeren said. “You’ve got to be able to take your show on the road.”

While the Demon Deacons would like to see the trend continue when N.C. State visits, there are no guarantees.

“We have a good track record playing (N.C. State) at home, so we have some good vibes on that,” Wake Forest defensive end Kristopher Redding said. “But you can’t rely on that.”

“Last year they whipped us over in Raleigh, so that gives you a little bit of motivation when they come to our place,” Grobe said. “It has just been a pretty even series, give and take.”

The Demon Deacons lost their first two Atlantic Coast Conference games on the road. They know they have to make up ground.

But for safety A.J. Marshall, just knowing that N.C. State is the opponent is enough for him.

“I’m from Durham, so I always have a chip on my shoulder when we play one of those Triangle teams,” said Marshall, who said his former Southern Durham teammate Tony Creecy (an N.C. State running back) is one of his closest friends.

Records: N.C. State 3-1, 0-1; Wake Forest 2-3, 0-2

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday (RSN)

Where: BB&T Field, Winston-Salem

Series: N.C. State leads 63-37-6

Extra points …: For both schools, this is the most-played series in football. … This is N.C. State’s first road game of the season. … It marks the third time in a five-year period that N.C. State’s first league road game comes at Wake Forest. … The Wolfpack has lost its last five games on the Demon Deacons’ home field. ... Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe holds a 6-6 record against N.C. State. During his time with the Demon Deacons, Wake Forest has a winning record against the other seven in-state teams it has played. Grobe is 31-10 against in-state opponents in his current job. … “We want to be the best team in the state,” Wake Forest tight end Spencer Bishop said.

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A month into the season and North Carolina State football coach Dave Doeren figures he’s about to find out quite a bit more about his team Saturday.

The Wolfpack will be the opponent for Wake Forest’s homecoming. This is the team’s first road trip under Doeren, who’s in his first season.

“I think we have learned a lot about our team and you learn a lot on the road,” Doeren said. “It’s unfamiliar, smaller locker room, different crowd. The routine is different. Even though it’s a bus (trip) and not a plane, it’s still a different environment for our guys.”

The Wolfpack would like to leave with a different type of result than in recent treks to Winston-Salem.

N.C. State hasn’t won there in its last five trips and has suffered defeats in seven of its last eight visits. Quarterbacks such as Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon have all left with defeats before going on to being starters in the NFL.

“It’s kind of a motivator to improve that record there,” N.C. State offensive tackle Joe Thuney said. “There’s that satisfaction of going to an opponents’ place and silencing their crowd.”

Doeren said he took particular notice of the recent history because the Wolfpack’s losing streak in Winston-Salem extends beyond a couple of games.

“This streak is hard to absorb,” Doeren said. “I also know during that span Wake was at their peak as a program, and that is part of it. … If (N.C. State) had lost two in a row, I probably wouldn’t have cared too much. But seven out of eight, you can’t ignore that.

“You have to bring the juice, the energy. If it’s quiet, you know it’s quiet because you made it quiet. I think that’s the noise we want to hear, no noise.”

Wake Forest scored at least 30 points in four of the five games in the home winning streak in the series. The Wolfpack lost 34-27 in 2011 at BB&T Field.

“That was like the worst game I had,” N.C. State linebacker D.J. Green said of playing two years ago at Wake Forest. “It was just bad.”

Green said it should be a bonus that N.C. State’s fans usually have a strong turnout at Wake Forest.

This is one of only four road games for the Wolfpack this season, so it needs to make the most of these ventures.

“You can’t be a great program and lose the road games and win the home games,” Doeren said. “You’ve got to be able to take your show on the road.”

While the Demon Deacons would like to see the trend continue when N.C. State visits, there are no guarantees.

“We have a good track record playing (N.C. State) at home, so we have some good vibes on that,” Wake Forest defensive end Kristopher Redding said. “But you can’t rely on that.”

“Last year they whipped us over in Raleigh, so that gives you a little bit of motivation when they come to our place,” Grobe said. “It has just been a pretty even series, give and take.”

The Demon Deacons lost their first two Atlantic Coast Conference games on the road. They know they have to make up ground.

But for safety A.J. Marshall, just knowing that N.C. State is the opponent is enough for him.

“I’m from Durham, so I always have a chip on my shoulder when we play one of those Triangle teams,” said Marshall, who said his former Southern Durham teammate Tony Creecy (an N.C. State running back) is one of his closest friends.

Records: N.C. State 3-1, 0-1; Wake Forest 2-3, 0-2

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday (RSN)

Where: BB&T Field, Winston-Salem

Series: N.C. State leads 63-37-6

Extra points …: For both schools, this is the most-played series in football. … This is N.C. State’s first road game of the season. … It marks the third time in a five-year period that N.C. State’s first league road game comes at Wake Forest. … The Wolfpack has lost its last five games on the Demon Deacons’ home field. ... Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe holds a 6-6 record against N.C. State. During his time with the Demon Deacons, Wake Forest has a winning record against the other seven in-state teams it has played. Grobe is 31-10 against in-state opponents in his current job. … “We want to be the best team in the state,” Wake Forest tight end Spencer Bishop said.